Girl Found Alive in Bin at Landfill
An 8-year-old girl who had been sexually assaulted and buried under rocks in a trash bin was found alive Sunday by an officer searching a landfill, authorities said. A teenager was charged with attempted murder.
The girl had minor injuries and was taken to a hospital, they said. Hospital officials declined to comment on her condition Sunday night.
Milagro Cunningham, 17, who had been staying at the house of the girl’s godmother, was charged with attempted murder, sexual battery on a child under 12, and false imprisonment of a victim under 13 years old, police said. He was charged as an adult.
The girl was found about seven hours after she was reported missing. An Amber Alert had been issued early Sunday.
Police Sgt. Mike Hall was scouring the landfill for the girl when he looked inside the trash bin and saw a yellow recycling container with a lid on it. When he opened the lid, he “saw a bunch of rocks, a foot and a hand,” Sgt. Dan Boland said.
Hall then yelled to see if the child was alive, alerting other officers. A lieutenant saw the girl’s finger move and officers began pulling rocks off her, Boland said.
The girl had been staying overnight at her godmother’s when she disappeared, Boland said. Cunningham was not related to the girl, police said.
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